LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Teal Battle led all players with 21 points,
Krystan Vornes registered her second career double-double and Little Rock dominated the boards for the second straight game as the Trojans claimed a 63-47 win over their former Sun Belt Conference rivals Sunday at the Jack Stephens Center.
Battle's 21 points marks her fifth career 20-point game but just her first of this young season as she paced Little Rock (3-2), nearly missing out on a double-double with nine rebounds. Vornes very solidly recorded a double-double for the second consecutive game as she registered a career-high 15 rebounds while matching a career-best 13 points.
Little Rock led by as much as 21 points in the third quarter but the real domination came on the boards as Little Rock grabbed a season-high 45 rebounds and posted a plus-15 rebound margin over Western Kentucky (0-3). The Hilltoppers, still in search of their first win, whittled Little Rock's lead down to single digits at 50-41 in the fourth, but Vornes responded with two straight layups and the Trojans would not let their lead dip back into the single digits again.
More than just rebounds, Vornes and Battle led the way as Little Rock scored 32 points in the paint and led to a Trojan resurgence in taking advantage of opportunities. Little Rock scored 14 points off of 16 WKU turnovers and scored another 13 points on second-chance opportunities, two categories the Maroon and Silver let slip away in Thursday's loss to No. 10 Texas A&M.
While Battle and Vornes were known quantities leading the Trojans, Little Rock also got help from an unexpected sounce as
Tia Harvey made WKU readjust their defensive focus. The freshman guard, making her first career start, dropped 11 points and six rebounds while grabbing two steals.
Western Kentucky was led by Ally Collett's 11 points but no other Hilltopper would reach double figures in any category. Meral Abdelgaward grabbed eight rebounds.
Little Rock now turns its attention to a pair of in-state foes. The Trojans will play at Central Arkansas on Wednesday, Dec. 16 in the Governor's I-40 Showdown presented by Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield before returning home to close out non-conference play as the Razorbacks make an historic trip to the Jack Stephens Center.
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